“Wink” has drawn interest from at least three teams

The recent hiring of Dennis Allen as Broncos defensive coordinator and Richard Smith as linebackers coach officially means the team won’t be bringing back Don “Wink” Martindale _ the most likeable among the team’s five defensive coordinators in the previous five seasons.

Martindale is liked elsewhere, too, as he has drawn interest from the New York Jets and head coach Rex Ryan, the Dallas Cowboys and defensive coordinator Rob Ryan and the Baltimore Ravens and head coach John Harbaugh.

Martindale coached with Rex Ryan and Harbaugh at the University of Cincinnati in 1996.

Nicki Jhabvala is a Broncos beat writer for The Denver Post. She was previously the digital news editor for sports. Before arriving in Denver, she spent five years at Sports Illustrated working primarily as its online NBA editor. She also spent two years as a home page editor at the New York Times.